Our first Reader’s Rig of 2026 comes from Stephen in Oregon, who shares a look at his Sklar PBJ that serves as a rolling reminder not to take life too seriously. Meet Stephen, read about his background in adventure racing, and scope out his lovingly built Sklar here…

Words and photos by Stephen Thompson

Hi, I’m Stephen. I was born and raised on a sheep ranch outside of Williams Lake, British Columbia. My family moved to Bend, Oregon, when I was in junior high. I broke my right clavicle when I was 12, crashing my BMX. In high school, I inherited my mom’s 1998 yellow and red Gary Fisher that I used to explore trails around central Oregon. In 2015, I joined a professional adventure racing team (Team Bend Racing) and spent seven years competing in expedition-length adventure races around the world, including four World Championships. In 2018, I competed in the Amazon Prime series “World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji,” which aired in August of 2019.

Sklar PBJ

During COVID, I took a hiatus from adventure racing, and my wife and I opened a Refill store and a cafe/bakery in Bend called the Pantry. My first solo Bikepacking race was The Big Lonely in 2022, which highlights some of my favorite mountain and gravel riding around central Oregon. In 2024, I finished the second edition of the Hellenic Mountain Race in Greece and won a special mug after downloading an incorrect map file and adding 20 kilometers of hike-a-bike to my route that wasn’t on the official race route. My second daughter was born in April 2025.

  • Sklar PBJ
  • Sklar PBJ
  • Sklar PBJ
  • Sklar PBJ
  • Sklar PBJ

Currently, I spend most of my time pulling kids around in a burley trailer and tackling home renovation projects. My current bikepacking goal is the Highland Trail Race in Scotland and the upcoming first edition of the Taurus Mountain Race in Eastern Turkey.

  • Frame/Fork: Sklar PBJ Moss
  • Rims: Astral Serpentine
  • Hubs: White Industries CLD (HG) Silver
  • Tires: Teravail Ehline 2.6
  • Handlebars: Sklar PBJ Riser Bar Silver
  • Headset: White EC
  • Crankset: White M30
  • Pedals: PNW Loam Silver
  • Cassette: Shimano XT 11-46
  • Derailleur(s): Shimano XT
  • Brakes: Paul Klampers and Canti-Levers
  • Shifter(s): Shimano XT
  • Saddle: Brooks B17
  • Seatpost: PNW Loam Gen 2 Silver
  • Stem: Paul Boxcar 50
  • Front bags: Outer Shell Basket Bag Duck Camo
  • Frame bags: Rogue Panda Custom
  • Accessory bags: MoosePacks Stem Bag Sunnyside, Rogue Panda Top Tube Bag
  • Other accessories: Rogue Panda Bamboo Shoots, Paul Barrel adjusters, purple Jagwire

I remember seeing some early write-ups of Sklar frames when he was still only doing custom orders and making everything by hand in Montana. I was determined to someday have a Sklar in the bike shed. I was thrilled to follow the design concepts that went into the first generation of production PBJs and got on the waitlist ASAP. For me, Sklar’s frame design is a near-perfect blend of high-tech geometry/materials nerding and good ol’ fashioned flying by the seat of your pants, which I align with.

Sklar PBJ
  • Sklar PBJ
  • Sklar PBJ
  • Sklar PBJ

I work (very) part-time for my friends Ron and Julia at Chariot Bike Shop in Bend, which affords me time to brainstorm my dream bike builds and research components. My Sklar PBJ is an homage to reminding myself to wear less tight-fitting cycling clothes and take life (and life while on a bike) less seriously in general. For me, my PBJ does not compromise high-performance geo and components for style and a bit of silliness. I plan to convert it regularly between single-speed and geared, and I look forward to seeing all the shiny parts patina from years of adventuring.

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